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 A Message About Grieving
 Through your hospice experience, you know better than most that coping with the loss of a loved one can be a difficult and prolonged challenge. No one can prepare you mentally or physically for the tough times awaiting you. More importantly, no one can teach you what it feels like to grieve.
Having cared for terminally ill patients and families for more than 20 years, I am familiar with the difficulties families face when they lose someone dear to them.
I understand that grief is a normal reaction to the loss of someone, and that each of you handles grief in your own way. Some of you may grow stronger from your experiences of grief. Initially, however, most family members are unprepared for the overwhelming reaction they have to a major loss.
We often rely on family, friends and healthcare professionals for support during this difficult time and receive insufficient assistance. What may be of real help in your grieving process is relevant information and support, offered in a manner and at a time that fits your individual needs and preferences.
The Foundation for End-of-Life Care is proud to be a supporter of education that will teach healthcare professionals how to help bereaved loved ones transform painful losses into personal growth. For example, the Foundation supports the Hospice Foundation of America’s annual Living With Grief bereavement teleconference.
The Foundation for End-of-Life Care recognizes the value in teaching professionals how to assist families in responding to the challenges and opportunities of caregiving. We also acknowledge the complexities of the social, cultural, spiritual, emotional and economic issues involved in living and dying. We are confident that the ideas and issues explored at these teleconferences will have a lasting impact on the lives of family caregivers and the professionals who serve them.
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